Ecología de la polinización de tres palmas de cera (Ceroxylon parvifrons, C. ventricosum y C. vogelianum) coexistentes en el Sur de los Andes de Colombia

Magíster en BiologíaMaestrí

Ancognatha vulgaris (Melolonthidae, Cyclocephalini): a specialized pollen-feeding scarab associated with wax palms (Ceroxylon spp., Arecaceae) in Andean cloud forests of Colombia

With 22 species, Ancognatha is the fourth most species-rich genus of Neotropical cyclocephaline scarabs (Melolonthidae, Cyclocephalini), an important group of anthophilous insects associated with palms (Arecaceae). Unlike other members of the tribe, which predominantly inhabit low-altitude ecosystems, Ancognatha spp. are most common in montane areas, at elevations of 1500 to over 4000 m a.s.l. In the cloud forests of the Andes of Colombia, we investigated the association between Ancognatha vulgaris and seven species of wax palms (Ceroxylon spp.) from 2009 to 2013. Male and female A. vulgaris can be characterized as specialized florivores recovered in abundances of up to 40 individuals at both male and female inflorescences of all studied species of wax palms, which they also used for shelter and as aggregation sites for mating. The night-active beetles preferably fed on the pollen released in high quantities by staminate flowers of male inflorescences, but were also observed gnawing on the pistillate flowers of female inflorescences. We hypothesize that wax palm inflorescences are a key resource for the maintenance of populations of A. vulgaris under the extreme environmental conditions of Andean montane ecosystems, an assumption supported by their overlapping biogeographical distributions

Orchestrated flowering and interspecific facilitation: Key factors in the maintenance of the main pollinator of coexisting threatened species of andean wax palms (ceroxylon spp.)

Solitary, dioecious, and mostly endemic to Andean cloud forests, wax palms (Ceroxylon Bonpl. ex DC. spp.) are currently under worrisome conservation status. The establishment of management plans for their dwindling populations rely on detailed biological data, including their reproductive ecology. As in the case of numerous other Neotropical palm taxa, small beetles are assumed to be selective pollinators of wax palms, but their identity and relevance in successful fruit yield were unknown. During three consecutive reproductive seasons we collected data on population phenology and reproductive and floral biology of three syntopic species of wax palms native to the Colombian Andes. We also determined the composition of the associated flower-visiting entomofauna, quantifying the extent of the role of individual species as effective pollinators through standardized value indexes that take into consideration abundance, constancy, and pollen transport efficiency. The studied populations of C. parvifrons (Engel) H. Wendl., C. ventricosum Burret, and C. vogelianum (Engel) H. Wendl. exhibit seasonal reproductive cycles with marked temporal patterns of flower and fruit production. The composition of the associated flower-visiting entomofauna, comprised by ca. 50 morphotypes, was constant across flowering seasons and differed only marginally among species. Nonetheless, a fraction of the insect species associated with pistillate inflorescences actually carried pollen, and calculated pollinator importance indexes demonstrated that one insect species alone, Mystrops rotundula Sharp, accounted for 94%-99% of the effective pollination services for all three species of wax palms. The sequential asynchronous flowering of C. parvifrons, C. ventricosum, and C. vogelianum provides an abundant and constant supply of pollen, pivotal for the maintenance of large populations of their shared pollinators, a cooperative strategy proven effective by high fruit yield rates (up to 79%). Reproductive success might be compromised for all species by the population decline of one of them, as it would tamper with the temporal orchestration of pollen offer

Co-pollination, constancy, and efficiency over time: small beetles and the reproductive success of Acrocomia aculeata (Arecaceae) in the Colombian Orinoquia

Acrocomia aculeata is under accelerated domestication due to the high yield and quality of the oils obtained from the fruits. Key details about its reproduction and fruit production, notably its dependence on cross-pollination, have not been thoroughly assessed. In the course of three successive reproductive seasons, we investigated the phenology, floral biology, pollination ecology, and reproductive efficiency of a natural population of A. aculeata in the department of Casanare, Colombian Orinoquia. We determined the effective pollinators among floral visitors based on their abundance, pollen carrying capacity, and constancy in association with receptive female-phase inflorescences. The studied population of A. aculeata exhibited a seasonal reproductive cycle, producing inflorescences during the drier months of December to April (peaking in March) and mature fruits from October to March. Each individual produces six to ten protogynous inflorescences, with a female phase that lasts ca. 12 h and a male phase extending for four to five days. A total of 48 insect species were observed in association with A. aculeata, averaging over 3500 visitors per anthetic female-phase inflorescence. Flower weevils (Andranthobius spp.; Derelomini) and small sap beetles (Mystrops sp.; Mystropini) were the most abundant visiting species and main pollinators, accounting for 90–95% of effective pollination services. Their high efficiency as pollen vectors was evident, as fructification rates reached on average 65.5% during the three years of study. Our findings support the assumption that co-pollination in A. aculeata evolved as a specialized strategy to maintain a high and temporally stable reproductive efficiency over time

Chemical ecology of Cyclocephala forsteri (Melolonthidae), a threat to macauba oil palm cultivars (Acrocomia aculeata, Arecaceae)

The environmental unsustainability of African oil palm crops is a growing worldwide concern, and the macauba palm in tropical Southern America surges as the most viable substitute for the production of first-generation biodiesel as a renewable fuel. Large-scale cultivation of the macauba palm, however, is bound to suffer a major setback due to the fast emergence of a florivorous pest threat, Cyclocephala forsteri, a scarab beetle species that can severely reduce fruit yield. Like other congenerics, female and male C. forsteri are night-foraging and driven in large numbers to macauba palm inflorescences by specific volatile organic compounds. In the present study, we assessed the kairomonal cues involved in this plant–florivore interaction and their potential application in selective pest management strategies. Headspace samples of the floral fragrance of macauba palms at our study site in Central Brazil were largely dominated by 4-methylanisole (\u3e97% relative amount), which along with the minor constituents 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine and 2-sec-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine triggered electroantennographic responses from both female and male C. forsteri. Field behavioural assays evidenced that beetles of this species were exclusively attracted to scented traps baited with 4-methylanisole. Increased total scent discharge attained with an ultrasonic piezoelectric diffuser has positively influenced attractiveness efficiency of the trapping setup. 4-Methylanisole is hereby identified as yet another volatile kairomone involved in highly selective attraction of potential pest florivorous cyclocephaline scarabs associated with economically exploitable palms and should be viewed as a key element in short-term integrated management plans for the cultivation of the macauba palm in South America

Tópicos de marketing

Lograr un equilibrio entre acciones humanas, armonía con la naturaleza, y satisfacer las necesidades del mercado actual sin poner en riesgo aquellos recursos que pudieran precisar las futuras generaciones, es lo importante de impulsar la aplicación del marketing sostenible en las organizaciones. Esto se logra a través de la elaboración de un plan de marketing sostenible que permitirá promover un consumo responsable a través de información clara y oportuna sobre los beneficios personales y sociales que genera la adquisición de productos sostenibles; implantar el reciclado a través de la logística de reversa, procedimiento que origina poca o nula generación de desechos, proporcionar empleos seguros, apoyar al medio ambiente y con responsabilidad social, son algunos beneficios que aporta. El presente capítulo tiene como objetivo proporcionar los principales aspectos que abordan el marketing sostenible, mostrar la importancia de la realización de este marketing para las empresas, así como aportar los pasos para desarrollar un plan de marketing sostenible

Las organizaciones desde una mirada del desarollo sostenible

En el presente libro se articulan en dos líneas, a saber, las organizaciones desde la región y las organizaciones desde el emprendimiento y la gestión. En la primera se analizan diferentes temáticas que dejan ver el uso adecuado de la ciencia y la tecnología, reconociendo el rol de los sectores tanto público como privado y de la sociedad civil en el desarrollo, productividad y competitividad de las organizaciones, por lo que se tienen temáticas como normas internacionales, emprendimiento, tasa representativa del mercado, direccionamiento estratégico en el sector de obras civiles, precios internos y externos del tipo de cambio, que permitan comprender la dinámica contemporánea de las organizaciones, a partir de las experiencias de los diferentes actores que participan en escenarios inclusivos, con el propósito de evidenciar los elementos de competitividad y perdurabilidad que contribuyen a la internacionalización organizacional.La segunda línea trata de las organizaciones en la región, donde se muestran resultados de investigaciones, como las tendencias mundiales en el sector funerario, estrategias de innovación empresarial y responsabilidad social empresarial para Mipymes. Usos agroindustriales de la hoja de coca, factores de competitividad en la ganadería, en el sector metalmecánico, redes socio institucionales en el sector lácteo, imagen comercial de empresario, estrategia de encadenamiento, patios productivos, aplicación del modelo desing thinking, gestión del conocimiento en Mipymes industriales, ecosistema de emprendimiento, microempresas sostenibles, territorios de paz que dejan ver las nuevas tendencias y temáticas de creatividad e innovación para fortalecer la pedagogía, las competencias, las redes de emprendimiento a través de las herramientas, modelos y estructuras de los esquemas emprendedores, que permitan la continua evolución de los mercados emergentes y sus diferentes actores